The state of the world’s environment is one of the most important stories of the new century. Debates over the impact of climate change reverberate throughout the globe. So do disputes about what actions might be necessary, both to preserve the environment and to develop sources of energy for a growing global community.
The World’s environment coverage, led by environment editor Peter Thomson, examines the health of the planet and explores the impacts of human activity on everything from the earth’s ecosystems to the food we put on our plates.
One of the latest frontiers in the push for clean energy is the effort to capture the energy of human movement. The World’s Clark Boyd reports on the development of a new paving tile that captures the energy of footsteps and turns it into electricity.
Noxious dust storms rising up from Mongolia have plagued Korea for as long as anyone can remember. Now a small group of Korean and Mongolian activists are working together to attack the problem by planting trees in the Gobi desert.
Nearly a year after the Fukushima disaster, a new report has found that the country was much closer to a bigger nuclear calamity than was known at the time.
Lisa Mullins talks with E. Benjamin Skinner about his investigation of conditions for Indonesian workers on foreign-chartered commercial fishing vessels in the seas off New Zealand.
It remains to be seen whether these moves will result in real improvements, but they’re at least an implicit pledge of change, and they almost invite an even brighter spotlight on the largely dark backstory behind Apple’s glistening products.
Not long ago, Germany’s solar panel industry was roaring. But today it’s a victim of its own success. The German government is cutting subsidies, and the market is being flooded with cheap imports.
In Panama, scientists are racing to find and save frogs before they succumb to a virulent fungus that’s been killing amphibians around the world. Sabri Ben-Achour reports on the effort to get frogs into what they’re calling “amphibian arks.”
There’s a food movement called mindful eating that’s picking up speed in the US. led by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hạnh. He has a food meditation center in southern France. For the Geo Quiz, we’re looking for the name of the French department or region where you can find Plum Village.
Donald Trump wants the government to stop plans for a wind farm project off the coast of Aberdeen Bay. The wind turbines would be seen from the luxury golf resort Trump is building in Scotland. Marco Werman talks to Scottish parliament member Willie Rennie about the wind farm battle.
This week, aboriginal groups from British Columbia sent an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao asking China to raise the native community’s concerns about the pipeline with President Harper.
Carpooling has been popular in Germany for decades. One German-based web company is betting that it will catch on in the US, where your car is your domain.
The Chinese have a taste for turtle, and that’s led to a rise in poaching endangered sea turtles off the coast of the Philippines. Some Philippines military leaders think the poachers may also be doing lead work for the Chinese military.
Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has resigned after weeks of unrest. Host Marco Werman reports on the sudden resignation of a leader who had been a vociferous campaigner for action on climate change.
One issue has been nowhere on the radar during the Republican presidential primaries: addressing global climate change.
The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson has been reading the news on Apple’s supply chain, and shares some thoughts on Apple, human rights, and us.
